The Sun Flights

What initially drew me to the Philadelphia folk duo The Sun Flights was their locked harmonies.

Two years later, those harmonies still intact on House of Man, the debut LP from Natalie Butts and Claire Duncombe. Recorded on a tour across the US, you can hear the miles on House of Man and its snapshots of stolen moments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMOryVFOlgE - Bucket Full of Nails

THE SUNFLIGHTS (click photo to listen)

The Sunflights, whose previous appearance was often made enchanting unsuspecting basement-show and dive bar dwellers, release their first EP today (FREE release show at North Star Bar 8pm along with Queen Anne and The Wild Carrot). We had the pleasure of listening to the self-titled release and were pleasantly surprised with the growth this band has achieved while still staying true to their minimalist, one-guitar-with-two-voices blueprint.

The first track, “I am a Robot” (click the photo above to listen) is our favorite of bunch; lush with a tapestry of words, harmonies, and guitar work that somehow seamlessly weave together the sentiment of the song sonically and lyrically. I have admittedly not been able to stop showing the song to whomever happens to be in my busted Toyota where this disc has been rotating since I received it. Sounding at times like a blue Joni record, and at others a taste of a slew of folk/blues and even sometimes sunny and brighter moments; this album is perfect for the schizophrenic Philadelphia weather in early November, before everything becomes definitively cold and dark, making this release date perfect for the effect of the record.

Beyond Natalie Butts and Claire Duncombe’s impressive chemistry for song-writing and harmonizing together, the Sunflights’ perhaps biggest strength is in the way the songs develop. The tempo, key, and guitar-picking style can seem to change 100 times in the song while somehow not sounding sporadic but instead more like a woven composition than the normal verse-chorus-verse acoustic folk songs that many bands of similar stylings produce. Another standout song is “The Clearing.” Similarly with the first track, the imagery in the lyrics as well as the composition of the song creates a great tune but also another testament to a definite maturation from prior demos.

So come out tonight, pick up this beautiful album (charmingly hand-crafted), and see these ladies live - you won’t regret it. - Philly Indie

Hat-tip to the good folks at Philly Indie for this one: folksy Philly duo The Sun Flights is celebrating the release of its debut self-titled EP tonight at the North Star Bar for the venue’s Victorian Dining Room concert series. If you’ve never been, you’re in for a treat, both from the band, and the room.

To begin with the room – even though the North Star made its name as a popular down-and-dirty live music venue in the alternative rock heyday of the 90s (and continuing into the aughties), there’s actually a fancy a side to the building. Up a tucked-away flight of stairs on the bar / eatery side of the room is a hidden room with a vaulted ceiling, ornate (but not gaudy) wooden walls, big windows and cozy seating. At one point in the building’s past it was a dining room, and now it’s the perfect environment to experience the acoustic, intimate, unamplified portion of the venue’s programming.

That’s something that The Sun Flights does particularly well – with fingerpicked guitars and delicate harmonies, they set a striking mood that something in between Azure Ray, Red House Painters, early Tegan & Sara and The Decemberists. Which is to say, a little bit esoteric and haunting, but definitely with poppy influences and aspirations. I could see this duo – Natalie Butts on vocals and guitar, Claire Duncombe on vocals – bringing in more players, exploring arrangements and layers, building into something bigger and Bon Iver-style. But they work just as well in the most basic configuration, which in some ways is even more important. Listen to their song “I Am A Robot” below, visit the venue’s website for more on the show.
- WXPN's The Key

The Sun Flights – A back-to-basics acoustic duo that doesn’t get lost in the typical folky trappings. There are no overlong songs, no overly dramatic presentations, no kind of heady musicological focus that might alienate a general audience. At the same time, they write songs that people who are into all of those things would still enjoy. The perfect balance of haunting new-folk mystique and accessible pop. - John Vettese